Rayne On Me
by SerpentineSorceress
Summary: Rayna is a stubborn Californian witch. She is never one to accept change too easily. So what happens when she finds out she is to spend her fourth year and on, in Hogwarts?
1. Getting There

**Chapter One**

"What?!?! You're sending me where?!" Rayna could not believe what she was hearing. Her parents, her pure Californian parents were sending her off to a boarding school?! "…In England." "It's in England?! Are you insane?! You're out of your minds! I can't believe this! Why on earth would you want to send me millions of miles, plus an ocean away from home?!" She continued her enraged outburst. I know there's something big you're hiding from me, and you want me away, so I won't find out until it's too late! Are you getting divorced or something?" She was on the verge of tears, now, screaming at her parents, who took it calm and quietly, waiting for her to finish. "Did something happen in the family that I have no right to know about?!" She paused.

_What if there was something? Was she adopted? Had someone died? Was one of them a Wanted criminal? _ She had watched one too many episodes of Criminal Minds. Whatever it was, she definitely didn't like it.

"What if I don't want to go?" She inquired testily.  
"We've already written to the Headmaster there and said you were attending. You will be sorted a week early so you don't have to go up with a bunch of first years."  
"Well, it was a waste of time, sorry to say." Her father looked her in the eye.  
"You are going. End of discussion. Got it?"  
"Yeah, whatever. I at least deserve to know why you are doing this." Her mother sighed, and then looked at her father, who nodded.  
"Well, remember Grandpa Joey before he died? He said he wanted you to be well educated. Don't you want to honor him?"  
"Yeah, but do you have to send me out of state? We have good schools here. Send me to California Academy for Witches, if you want a boarding school. That's a good University."   
"Grandpa Joey wanted you to go overseas, specifically to Hogwarts."  
"Gee, thanks for telling me that earlier." Rayna added sarcastically.

By this time, her father had left the room, leaving her mother to try and break through the barrier of Rayna's stubbornness.

"Come on, honey. Imagine what it'll be like to attend a renowned wizarding school? You will have an excellent education, as well as so many more school mates and friends!"  
"Oh, so, CAW isn't good enough for you?!"  
Her mother was taken aback by this sudden outburst.  
"Well, it's just that…Hogwarts is so much bigger and they offer more classes, and—  
"No! You know what? Just shut up, okay? Shut up! I don't want to hear anymore about this, Hogwarts shit!"

Usually she was only like this when she was angry. She was furious. With that, she turned on her heel, and stormed up to her room, slamming the door. She buried herself in her myriad of pillows on her bed, and screamed as loud as she could. It was so loud that, though the sound was muffled, you could still hear it down in the kitchen. Her Siamese kitten, Shimsa, struggled to get up on the bed. In her anger, Rayna refused to help her pet. After about ten minutes of Shimsa's insistent meowing, with a frustrated growl, Rayna reached down and lifted the kitten up with ease, to place her on the bed.

"Shim, what am I going to do? I can't go to England! Imagine what hell I'd face when Alex found out. He'd be furious! And I can't just break up with him. Not after all that we've been through, no. What am I going to do?!"

Receiving only a meow from her pet, Rayna pushed Shimsa off her chest, where she had gotten quite comfortable. 

"You're no help."

She got up and took a hot shower. Changing into her pajamas, she slipped under her comforter. 

"I'll think of something…"

With those last words, she slipped off to Dreamland.   
Rayna was fuming the entire way to the airport. As her dad unloaded her suitcase and small carry-on, she stood on the curb, arms crossed over her chest, tapping her foot impatiently, glaring at everyone who passed.

"Here you go, Little Miss Sunshine."  
"Whatever…" 

With that, she stalked off.

"Hey, hey, hold on…you don't just walk off like that. We have things to make sure you understand." She resumed her position, rolling her eyes.

"What?" So they went over her itinerary.  
"Okay, I get it now. Can I go?" Her parents paused, looking at each other, as if just realizing the hurt they were causing their daughter.  
"Sure…" 

She gave her parents a weak, sarcastic smile, before turning on her heel and moving towards the airport. In a last effort her mother called after her:

"We love you!" With her back still to them, she merely raised her hand to let them know she heard, with a final:  
"See ya next year!" yelled over her shoulder. Tears fell from her parents' eyes as they watched their daughter enter the airport. Once she was out of sight, they got back in the car and drove home.

Meanwhile, in the airport, because Rayna's dad had gotten her ticket off the Internet, she checked in her luggage, and having received her boarding pass, and headed through the Security Check. Twenty minutes later, she was in the waiting area of her gate. Her parents had given her quite a sum of money so she spent a bit to purchase a couple of magazines, and a pack of gum.

She took a piece of gum and began to chew nervously. She had traveled as an unaccompanied minor before, but never out of the country. It was five hours to New York, then another 18 hours to London. She'd apparate, but she'd never apparated that far. What if she didn't make it? She didn't think she was strong enough for that distance. "All passengers in Gate 11D, American Airlines, to New York, boarding now." Upon hearing the voice over the intercom, Rayna gathered her things, and got in line. On the plane, Rayna found herself sitting next to a blonde, blue-eyed girl, about her age. The girl's cell phone rang, and she dug into her purse for it. Her phone was light blue, and had a golden B on the front.

Answering it, she said, "Hello?" _Hmm, she has an English accent…_"Yes, mum, I'm on the plane in California. Yes, I will call when I get to New York. All right, I love you too, mum. Say hi to dad for me. Bye." 

The girl hung up, and leaned back in her seat_. Is she going home to England? Only one way to find out…_ She extended her hand out to the girl.

"Hi! My name's Rayna Lauren. Call me Rayne." The blonde smiled, shaking Rayna's hand.  
"Pleasure. Celeste Silverdrop. Call me Cel."  
"I figured since we're going to be stuck here for the next five hours, it wouldn't hurt to introduce myself."  
"Well, Rayne, I'm glad you did, because I'd probably be bored out of my mind."   
"Ha! Hey, where in England are you from?"  
"London."   
"What a coincidence! That's where I'm headed!"  
"Oh, really? What for?"  
"Um, schooling…"  
Celeste whispered, "You're a witch too, eh?"  
Shocked, Rayna stuttered, "How—how did you know?"  
"You have to be confident in your answer if you want to lie about something. Plus, I'm a Legilimens...sorry."  
"Oh, that's all right. "   
"So, when you say, schooling, you really mean…"   
"Hogwarts…unfortunately."  
"What do you mean by that? Hogwarts is the--"  
"Greatest wizarding school ever, yeah, I know. I've only heard that a million times."  
"What fault do you find with Hogwarts?"  
"It's not the school, really, it's the situation I'm leaving in. I've made millions of friends at the High School for Witches and Wizards here, and I'm not one to easily leave them behind. On top of that, they don't know that I'm leaving. Well, maybe my teachers do, but they're not important. And my boyfriend too, he can be a bit over-protective, so, I know things aren't going to go well with my parents when he finds out."  
"I see. Well, you'll love it there, I guarantee you."

During those five hours, they became good friends, and hoped to get together in London sometime. Before they got off the plane, the two exchanged contacts.

"So, call me when you land, if you land first, that is." Rayna said.  
"And if you land first, you can call me."  
"All right. I'll talk to you in 18 hours then. Bye, Cel!"  
"Bye, Rayne! See you in London, hopefully!"

Rayna found her next gate, and reclined on an empty row of chairs. She had a one-hour layover there; she figured she might as well get comfortable. One hour later found her boarding the plane, finding her seat, and stuffing her carry-on in the overhead bin. Unfortunately, on this flight, she was seated in between two people that, let's just say, looked A LOT older than her.

"Great, I get to sit on my ass for 18 hours, wallowing in boredom…oh well, next and last stop, London."


	2. The Silverdrops

Chapter Two

The very minute the plane landed, Rayna's phone rang. She pulled from her purse, her razor flip phone. There was a red and orange flame on the front, with a black background. On the back, was the phrase, 'Flamin' hot!' in flamed letters. She smiled, seeing the name, "Silverdrop, Celeste," in bright pink letters. While she was waiting for the line to move, she flipped her phone open.

"Hey, Cel! You're right on time! I just landed like, a second ago!" Over the phone, Rayna heard her friend laugh.

"Yeah, well, I have a knack for perfect timing."

"Wait, you called first. Are you still in the airport?"

"Yeah. What gate are you at?"

"B, I believe."

"All right. I'll be your one-man welcome committee."

"With a red carpet, too?" Rayna asked jokingly.

"And a limo waiting."

"Oh, I can't wait!"

"Well, I see your gate so get out here soon!" Celeste remarked.

"All right."

Rayna hung up and walked up the gate terminal. There, she saw Celeste, standing on a chair, waving. Rayna smiled, walking over to her friend.

"Did you have a fun time on the plane?" Celeste inquired They had gotten their luggage at the baggage claim, and so were walking towards the front of the airport.

"Are you talking about the eighteen hours I spent on my ass, with no one to talk to, bored out of my mind?!...Yes, it was quite all right," she finished calmly. "What about you?" She turned to address Celeste.

"Oh, same here, really." They were nearing the exit doors of the airport, when Celeste asked,

"Are you staying with anyone here?"

"No, actually, I haven't thought about accommodations yet. Well, of course Hogwarts, but other than that, I don't know. I figure I'll just...um..."

"Well, you must allow my home to be yours for the year."

"I couldn't do that, Cel!"  
"Oh, quit being considerate for once, and stay with us! Well, you know, at least for the rest of the summer, and your school breaks. I won't take no for an answer, and don't you even think of staying in a hotel, alone for a year! Besides, both my brother and my cousin go to Hogwarts, so you don't have to worry about us going out of our way to take you to King's Cross Station."

"Ugh, fine, but shouldn't you talk with your parents first? I mean, this is extremely on the spur of the moment."

"Nonsense! My parents love guests! 'The longer they stay, the better.' That's what they say. And, they can fix up the guestroom for you, in minutes! It'll be fine!" Rayna let out an exasperated sigh.

"All right, all right, I'll come! But, one word that it's not okay, and I'm off to live in Soho."

"Agreed."

In London, at the time, it was just about 2:00 PM, so it was still fairly sunny as they went out to hail a taxi.

"After dinner, why don't you and Andy show our American guest around town?" Suggested Mark Silverdrop, Celeste's dad.

"Good idea, Dad!"

After dinner Celeste led Rayna up to the guestroom.

"My brother Andy brought up your suitcase, so I'll let you change, and we can go whenever you're ready. We'll be downstairs."

"All right, thanks." Rayna looked around the room. It was spacious with two twin beds. There was a large empty closet, as well as a dresser with a mirror above it. Peeking in through another door, she found a bathroom.

Rayna changed into a red Roxy top, and her tight Lucky's jeans. Running down the staircase, she found Celeste and Andy sitting in the living room, waiting. "Ready!" The two led her out to Andy's car, and they piled in. Celeste made Rayna sit in the front seat, saying, "You'll be able to see the sites better." So the three went off, and within a few hours, Rayna became acquainted with Big Ben, the Eye of London, and a few Cathedrals.

When they got home, it was nine o' clock. Having thanked them for the tour, Rayna walked up to her room. She took a shower, then changed into her red silk pajamas. Curling up under the blankets, her long lashes drew the curtains of her eyelids, and she rocketed off to Dreamland in seconds.

The next morning, at nine o' clock, she awoke to voices down in the kitchen. Groggily, she swung her legs over the side of the bed, and stood up...a bit too quick. The room spun, she saw double, and sat back down. Closing her eyes, Rayna waited for her blood to circulate correctly, before making another attempt at obtaining a vertical position. This time she was successful. She jumped into a cold shower to wake herself up. That day she wore a light blue tanktop with her Bongo jeans, and an orange and brown necklace to top it off.

Making her way down to the dining room, she found the four around the table. Upon her entrance, they looked up.

"Good morning dear, come have some breakfast," said Jane, Celeste's mum. Seating herself next to Celeste, Rayna reached for the plate of bacon.

"So, what's happening today?" Rayna inquired.

"Shopping of course!" Celeste exclaimed. Chuckling, Andy leaned over, as he was sitting on her other side, and whispered,

"I swear she's gone shopping every day of the summer so far." Rayna laughed along with Andy, before Celeste caught her attention again.

"You'll meet my friends, and my sister and her husband are coming too!"

"Sounds like a plan!" Rayna affirmed.

After breakfast, Rayna took the morning slow, making sure to feed Shimsa. The Silverdrops enjoyed her kitten, seeing as they didn't have any pets in the house. It was when they were all finished with lunch, at about 1:00, when Rayna rushed up to her room, brushed her teeth, and fixed her hair. She didn't know who Celeste's friends were, of course, so she wanted to make a good impression.

"Rayne, they're here! Come on!" Celeste's voice carried itself up to her ears from the front hall.

"Coming!" Rayna grabbed her purse, and sprinted down the stairs, and out the front door. There were two cars parked on the street in front of the large house. Out on the curb, Celeste was waiting, with eight other people. Celeste addressed Rayna.

"All right. Before we head off, I believe introductions are in order..." Over the next minute or so, Rayna learned that the guy with light brown, cropped hair, was Jason, Celeste's boyfriend. Apparently, Jason was a muggle.

"But don't worry," Celeste had whispered to her later, "he knows..."

The girl next to him, was slightly taller, with dark brown hair and tan streaks, was Claire Morgan, Celeste's older sister. She looked about 26 years old. The hand of the guy next to her, who, Rayna assumed, was Claire's husband, held her hand. Rayna found his name was David Morgan. He was about the same height as his wife, if not a centimeter or so taller. He later told her, when asked, that he was 25. Next to him was a much shorter girl, about 15, with long dark hair, and dark brown eyes. This was Jenny. The dark-haired boy next to the girl, was Kyle, 15 as well, Jenny's boyfriend. And last but not least, Rayna was introduced to Brittany and Jeff. Brittany was average height for a 16-year-old, with shoulder length, brown hair. Her boyfriend Jeff, of the same age, had short, dark brown hair. Besides them, Andy was there as well.

"Well, shall we go? Claire's driving the girls in the Lincoln, and David's taking the boys in the Pathfinder." Celeste informed them all. They all piled into their respective vehicles, and were off to the mall and Department stores. Earlier, Rayna had allowed Celeste to go through the clothes she had brought with her, and Celeste had commented, "We need to get you a new wardrobe..." And that's what they did.

The next three hours was devoted to purchasing a whole new set of clothes for Rayna, worthy of a closet in London. The two hours before dinner at seven o'clock, was when the girls pampered themselves, while the majority of the guys were in the electronics sections. Dinner, which lasted about an hour or so, was had at a casual restaurant, after which, the whole group went out to a party that other friends of Celeste's were hosting. This lasted for about four hours.

Almost 11 hours later, Andy, Celeste and Rayna were dropped off at home. All three then realized how tired they were, and went straight up to their rooms, with mumbled "goodnights". Rayna merely dropped her many shopping bags on the floor, got changed, and made sure, with a flick of her wand, that Shimsa had enough water for the night. Falling into bed without bothering to get under the covers, the second her head made contact with the pillow, Rayna was out for the evening. 


	3. First DayOn The Train

Chapter three

"Come on, Rayne!! You and I are going back to Hogwarts tomorrow, and it's not like our books and supplies are going to buy themselves and apparate over here!" Yelled Andy from the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm coming!! God Andy, it's not like Diagon Ally has a closing time!" Rayna sprinted down the stairs, after closing her door on Shimsa, as she was dressed and ready to go. Andy led Rayna outside to where David and Claire were waiting in their car. The two were to accompany Andy and herself to Diagon Ally. It had been a quick summer, and they soon had found themselves waving goodbye to Celeste from the airport as she was to fly back to France, to return to Beauxbatons. In that time, Andy had become like a brother to Rayna, and even protective of her.

An hour later, David parked on the side of a narrow street. As Rayna got out of the car, Andy took her hand to ensure she wouldn't get lost as they walked down the street a bit.

"Um, Andy, this's still London, right?"

"Yeah."

"Where's Diagon Ally then?"

"Right in through here. The Leaky Cauldron." They had stopped at what looked like an inn. Andy followed Claire in, leading Rayna, then David. They made their way through the tables and chairs, and other witches and wizards.

"What exactly is this place? I mean, it's still in London, but I see mostly witches and wizards here."

"The Leaky Cauldron Inn is the cross point between the muggle world and the magical world. This way..." The four stopped at a wall, where Claire took out her wand and tapped various bricks before them. Much to Rayna's astonishment, the wall began to move, sliding aside to make a doorway to another crowded street. There were people of all sorts, dressed in all types of clothes. Their first stop was Gringotts.

"You never told me your family was that well off." Andy mused.

"Yeah." Then they split up. Andy knew what he needed to get and so went with David, while Claire led Rayna around to get her things.

"What's next?" Claire asked Rayna, who was holding the supply list.

"Let's see...I have a wand, so...Flourish and Blotts." There they bought her schoolbooks. After that, they went to get her Potions supplies at the Apothecary, then they were off to Madam Malkins. There, Rayna had her eyes on green and silver robes.

"Wait, Rayne, you're looking at the wrong ones, they should be—oh...never mind then..." She had taken the letter from Rayna, and realized her friend was right. "You **are** in Slytherin...okay..." So they purchased the robes, and met back up with David and Andy to go home.

"Claire, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Andy what House I'm in until he notices; and then I'll tell him."

"Okay..." Claire was curious, but didn't want to question her friend's motives.

The next day

BEEP!! BEEP!! BEEP!! BEE--!! SLAP!! _Success..._ Rayna's hand had made contact with the snooze button, as she rolled back over sleepily. _Wha--?? Earthquake!!_

"Rayna!! Rayna, wake up!!" Rayna rolled over to decipher the catalyst of the earthquake, who had been shaking her.

"Claire? What—what time is it??"

"Nearly 7:00, and you need to get up." Rayna slowly sat up and looked around. Claire was sitting on the edge of her bed, all dressed and ready.

"Okay, okay, I'm up..." Rayna forced her limp legs to move over the edge of the bed, causing her feet to fall to the ground. With a second or two to get her senses about her, Rayna finally got up as Claire left the room.

As Rayna went down to eat breakfast, it became apparent to her that it was only Claire that visited, probably because David had work. She sat herself at the table, where Andy, Claire, and their mother were already eating. Mark had left for work earlier that morning.

"So, Rayna, it's your first day of school at Hogwarts...excited?"

"Yeah, sounds great..." Rayna stated unenthusiastically, as she poked her food around. _First day of school at Hogwarts. This is not how I imagined it._ Truth be told, she **was** enjoying herself, and she was **sure **that the year would go well. But that wasn't the problem. When she first found out where she was to continue her education, her parents had caught her on a bad day. A **very **bad day. Now her guilt had caught up with her, when it was too late. She regretted having said those words to her parents, and how they had to part on bad terms. _Oh well, I screwed up. The past should stay in the past, so I'm just going to enjoy this year, and when I get the chance, I'll write them to apologize. Yeah...that sounds good..._

"Rayna? Rayna!" Rayna jumped a bit in her chair. Jane was trying to get her attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mrs. Silverdrop, what were you saying?"

"Are you finished, dear?"

"Oh yes, thank you." Rayna replied as Jane took her plate away. Half an hour later, the four were in the car, on their way to King's Cross Station. Rayna had made sure to grab Shimsa right before they left, seeing as her trunk was already loaded. Jane and Claire waved goodbye as Andy led Rayna through to a pillar between platforms nine and ten.

"Andy? Where's platform 9 ¾?"

"It's right in front of you."

"A pillar is right front of me." Rayna stated flatly, as if Andy didn't know what he was saying.

"Exactly!" Andy grinned as Rayna rolled her eyes and slapped his arm.

"Quit talking in riddles, we're going to be late for the train!!" Andy sighed.

"You're no fun. Fine, it's on the inside of the pillar." Rayna gave him a look as if he was insane. "No seriously. Watch." Andy moved so that he was in front of the pillar, began to walk toward it, and completely into it. Rayna's eyes were the size of basketballs, as Andy popped his head back out. "Come on. You might want to make a running start since it's your first time." Rayna gulped nervously, but followed. The next thing she knew, she was on a completely different platform, crowded with people. Before her on the tracks stood a beautiful red train with the title, 'Hogwarts Express.'

"Come on now, you don't want to get lost in a crowd like this..." But before Rayna could reach for Andy's outstretched hand, a dark haired girl shoved her way between them. This caused Rayna to stumble back, separating her from Andy by a long shot.

"Watch where you're going, loser!!!" Rayna was shocked at the girl's attitude. _We don't even know each other, and she's already calling me names! _When she looked back, the girl was gone, having gotten on the train.She had to push through a few people to finally board the Express. _Whoa. Talk about crowded. The train's worse than the platform! And this is a much smaller space than out there!_

The train was packed as students tried to find compartments that were empty or at least had friendly faces. _Might as well give up on looking for Andy in a place like this, and find a compartment. _She spotted the closest one to her with an open door. She stepped in with a sigh of relief. Little did she realize that the compartment was not empty.

"Hello. Who might you be?" Rayna turned around at the voice, coming face to face with three others. The one who had spoken was the only other girl present, with brown eyes and brown wavy hair.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize this compartment was taken..." She made to exit the compartment.

"Yes, this compartment **is** taken, but it's not like there isn't room for one more. Do you really want to go back out there?" A brown-haired boy inquired.

"Uh, well--"

"Join us!" Piped up a redhead boy.

"Oh, um, all right..." Rayna levitated her luggage up onto the racks, then took a seat next to the redhead.

"What's your name?" The girl asked again.

"Rayna. Rayna Lauren. Call me Rayne. And you two?" She asked, looking at the girl and the redhead.

"Hermione Granger. Pleasure, Rayne."

"Ron Weasley. Nice to meet you, Rayne."

"But what about me--?" The other boy started.

"Harry Potter, of course! I know The-Boy-Who-Lived when I see him."

"Oh, right..."

"Oh, look! Seems to me that the Golden Trio have recruited another into their club. I suppose you're the Golden Quartet now, huh?" A tall, blonde, blue-eyed boy had paused in the doorway of their compartment. Two other boys were standing behind him. One was tall and lean with light brown hair and dark, distinct eyes. The other was completely opposite in stature, being short and chubby, with small eyes about the same shade as the former. Clutching the blonde's arm was that same dark-haired girl that Rayna had encountered earlier.

"Come on, Drakie, I want to go sit down!! Just ignore these losers!!" The girl whined. Apparently, 'loser' was her word of the day.

"Shove off, Pansy!! And for the love of all things magical, quit calling me that!! I'm not finished with them." He growled through his teeth. Rayna, fed up with this egotistical boy, stood and walked up to him, stopping inches from his much taller figure. Though he had the privilege of looking down on her, the other three in the compartment could tell the boy was somewhat intimidated by the strange girl's boldness.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you are done." She placed her hands firmly on his shoulders...to which he exclaimed, "Get your filthy hands off me, bitch!" and shoved him out the doorway, closing the compartment door in his face. She sat down in a huff, unaware of six huge eyes and three gaping mouths sent in her direction. When she finally noticed,

"What?"

"What you did to Malfoy...that was..." Harry started.

"Bloody brilliant!" Ron finished brightly.

"You mean, you don't do that?"

"Unless we want to have a face-off with his father, Lucius Malfoy, then no, we don't do that."

"Oh...oops!" Rayna stated with an 'oh well' shrug.

One hour later

"Well, we should change into our robes now. We'll be arriving soon." The four went their separate ways, and when they came back, again, all eyes were on Rayna.

"Oh, so you're in Slytherin..." Harry stuttered.

"Yeah! I—oh..." Rayna noticed that they were all Gryffindors. "Well, we can still talk between classes, right?"

"Maybe..." Ron stated flatly.

"Ron!! Just because she is in Slytherin, doesn't mean we can't be friends. The House does not make the student." Hermione exclaimed, shocked at her friend's sudden change of attitude towards Rayna. "Sorry about that Rayne. It's just that, until this year, we've seemed to be enemies with all of Slytherin, and have obviously gotten used to demeaning them."

"Well, that's all right."

In the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts

"Guys?" The three turned to face Rayna. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Andy, your House Prefect what house I'm in if he asks. Just say you don't know. By now he must know that I wasn't sorted into Gryffindor, so just be cautious."

"All right, but one question: How did you know who our Male Prefect was?" Harry asked.

"I know him. In fact, I spent the summer with him."

"Oh."

"Well, I have to go sit at my table, so talk to you later, hopefully." The three nodded as Rayna sat at the Slytherin table. Little did she know that she was being watched from the second she entered the Great Hall.

A few people down, Draco Malfoy sat seething at the very thought of her and what she had the nerve to do.

_How __**dare**__ she!! That girl had the nerve to humiliate me in front of my friends!! I'll teach her, you watch...oh shit, I am __not__ talking to myself!! _

_**Yes, unfortunately, you are. **_

_No I'm not now shut up!! _

His argument with himself was interrupted when Pansy tried to shove a piece of chicken down his throat. "Lay off it, Parkinson!!" He yelled angrily, pushing her away as he stood up from the table. He glared at everyone his eyes could reach, before storming out of the Great Hall.

Rayna watched Malfoy leave, snickering, "I'm not surprised he's like that after what happened. He's evidently used to girls fawning after him, not pushing him away. Ha! Who'd go for a prick like him anyway??" She whispered to herself.

This's going to be an interesting year...


	4. Conversations

Chapter Four

Later that evening, as Rayna turned a corner on her way down to the Slytherin Common Room, she came upon a clique of other Slytherin girls. The dark haired girl, whom Rayna knew as Pansy Parkinson, headed up the group. Pansy stepped up, blocking Rayna.

"It's the girl from the train, everyone, run!!" Pansy mocked, rather stupidly, I might add, trying to get her girlfriends to laugh along. They all did, which just showed Rayna how dense they were. Pansy continued, "You may have been able to piss off my boyfriend, but I'm not as soft..." to add an effect to her words, Pansy stepped up to Rayna. Pansy stood somewhat taller than she did, but Rayna knew she had the advantage of brains over Pansy.

"Pleasure to meet you too, Parkinson." Rayna simply stated, before passing Pansy's shoulder and getting on her way.

"Hey now, you don't just walk away from me like that! You don't know who you're talking to!"

Rayna paused, not turning around, slowly pulling her wand from her robes.

"Tell me, Parkinson, do you like birds?"

"I...what?"

"Do you like birds?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

"Good, because I have a gift for you. I hope you will accept my apology for pissing off Malfoy. Will you?"

"Um, I suppose...?"

Spinning around Rayna pointed her wand at Pansy while thinking, _Avis Oppugno!! _A small flock of tiny birds flew out from the tip of her wand and attacked Pansy, pecking at her face. She screamed in fright and pain, as Rayna continued,

"What's the problem, Parkinson? They're just little birds, and besides, I thought you said you weren't as soft as your boyfriend...you should be able to handle them without him...or me. Goodnight, Parkinson." With a smirk, Rayna turned on her heel and walked down to the Dungeons, and the Slytherin Common Room.

When she went in through the portrait hole, she found Malfoy in a big armchair, staring into the fire. There was a relatively disturbing look on his face that Rayna translated into an irate look. She went to sit on the couch.

"Looks like someone's in a bad mood." At her voice, Malfoy's head shot up, his eyes wide. Rayna chuckled. "Oh I'm sorry, did I startle you?" His face went sour when he realized who it was.

"What's your name again?"

"I never told you my name."

"Fine, if you want to get technical: What is your name?

"Rayna Lauren. And I never caught your first name, Malfoy."

"Draco. So what're you doing here, Rayna?"

"Well, in case you haven't noticed, Draco, I too, am in Slytherin." She gestured to the emblem on her cloak. With one glance at it, Draco rolled his eyes.

"Oh, great, whoopee..."

"What? Scared that I might beat you up again?"

"Hey, back off, all right? No one does that to me and gets away with it, got it??" Rayna put her hands up defensively.

"Tsk, tsk, a bit sensitive, are we? I think I have just the thing to cheer you up..." Rayna grinned at him, and he looked at her weird.

"I bumped into your girl in the hallway."

"My girl??"

"Pansy Parkinson?" His eyes widened again, and he shook his head vigorously.

"Oh, hell no, she is not my girlfriend. She just thinks she is, and so acts like it. But I don't like her. Ew, no..." He shuddered at the thought.

"Well, about cheering you up..." Rayna counted down on her fingers. "Three, two, one..." At that moment, Pansy burst in through the portrait hole, her gang stumbling in after. The birds were still harassing her.

"Draco!!!!!!!!!! Help!!!!! Dra—Draco!!!!!! Get—get them away from me!!" She ran over to him. Her face was somewhat bloodied up.

Draco had been laughing his head off ever since she came in, and he saw her predicament. He sat up, clutching his stomach. He pointed to Rayna.

"You, are a genius!!" I stood and took a bow.

"Thank you, thank you very much..." Malfoy caught his breath.

"And, as much as I'm loving watching this, I think you should call the birds off. You'll get in trouble." Pansy yelled,

"To hell you'll get in trouble!!" Rayna rolled her eyes, and pulling out her wand, she waved it in Pansy's direction. She thought, _Protego oppugno!_

Immediately the birds stopped attacking Pansy, and flew over to perch gently on Rayna's wand, as there were only four or five of them. Draco, his laughter dying down, though he was still chuckling, stood up.

"Come on, Parkinson, I'll take you to the Hospital Wing. Later, Rayna."

_I guess he's forgotten that he hates me. Oh well, he doesn't seem like that bad of a guy, and if he can live with it, so can I. _

As the two left, Rayna kicked back on the couch having removed her shoes. _Well, that was eventful. _

She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

The next morning

"Rayna? Rayna! Rayna wake up!!" Rayna slowly opened her eyes and found herself eye to eye with Draco. Apparently, he had been sitting on the table, bent over her, trying to wake her up. She gasped, having been startled, and moved back a bit.

"What is it?"

"Breakfast is about to be served...and, you probably want to, uh, freshen up..."

_What is he talking about? Wait, screw that, how did he get in here?? _

She sat up and looked around, and found she had spent the night on the couch in the Common Room, and so had not changed.

_Oh, I thought I was in the Girl's Dorm..._

"Why did you even bother to wake me?"

"Well, soon this place is going to be filled with all the remaining students in Slytherin who haven't gone down yet, and I thought I might do them a favor by getting you out of here." He replied, half-serious and joking.

"Oh, right. So, are we friends...now?" He had to think about that.

"Are you a pureblood?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I can't promise you anything, but I can say we're..." he paused, searching for the right word, "mutual."

"Okay then...I'll be right down." Rayna went to shower and change. 30 minutes later, she and Draco were making they're way up to the Great Hall. He seemed a bit surprised to see students from other schools there. But the thing that caught his eye was the large goblet that stood on a platform on one end of the Hall. From the goblet spewed a blue fire. Rayna noticed his look of confusion as they sat down to eat.

"If you hadn't left when you did yesterday, you would know why that's there."

"And, why is that there?"

"That goblet will be choosing contestants for the Triwizard Tournament."

"Triwizard Tournament?"

"'An event that brings together three schools'" replied Rayna, quoting Dumbledore, "...to endure three different tasks...see those boys in brown sitting at the end of our table?"

"Yeah..."

"And those girls in blue at the Ravenclaw table?" She waved at Celeste.

"Yeah..."

"They are from Durmstrang Academy and Beauxbatons Academy of Witchcraft."

"I see. So when is this to occur?"

"In two weeks, the goblet will pick. But, you have to be 17 and older to enter."

"Oh bull."

"You can never be so sure, because the way Professor Dumbledore described it, it sounds pretty tough. He kept emphasizing things like 'If chosen, you can't back out,' and 'once in, you're on your own.'"

With that explanation, breakfast continued. Afterward, Rayna and Draco were making their way to their first class of the day.

"Miss Lauren, may I please see you in my office?" Rayna and Draco turned to see Professor Mcgonagall.

"Okay..." Rayna gave Draco a look that said, _Here we go..._ Draco grinned, and bit his lip to prevent himself from bursting out laughing. He bent down to whisper,

"Good luck with that."

"Mr. Malfoy, you will continue on to class." Professor Mcgonagall instructed. Just as Draco walked off, Ron, Harry, and Hermione exited the Great Hall. They hadn't seen Rayna with Draco.

"Hey, Rayna, you coming to class?"

"Um, I'll be right there..." she replied, gesturing to Professor Mcgonagall, letting them know she had to go to the office.

"Oh, right, well, see you there then."

Rayna followed the Head of Gryffindor to her office. Upon entering, Rayna saw that Pansy was sitting in one of the chairs. She immediately noticed all the little scars Pansy had, decorating her face. Rayna snickered; she couldn't help herself.

"Gee, Parkinson, I knew you needed a facelift, but seriously, who did you go to? Because with that new look of yours, you could easily be hired for a job as a scarecrow..."

"That's enough, Miss Lauren," Professor Mcgonagall demanded firmly, "now, I know you're new here, but attacking another student like this will not be tolerated. Detention tonight, Miss Lauren. Your Head of House, Professor Snape, will deliberate that. Now go, you're both late for class." Rayna nodded and did not have to be told twice to leave. She was out the door years before Pansy. She finally found the classroom she was to be in for Defense Against the Dark Arts. The Professor looked up.

"Ahh, a late comer. Have a seat in the back, will you?" Rayna did as she was told, spotting Draco in a seat a few rows in front of her. He turned around to give her a smile. Over to the other side of the classroom where all the Gryffindors were, her eyes came across Ron, Harry, and Hermione. Looking back to the front, she noticed the board.

_Moody. Professor Moody. Unforgivables. Wait, we're studying the Unforgivables?? _

"Now, can anyone give me a curse? Mr. Weasley!!" Ron's head shot up.

"Yes??"

"Stand!!" Ron did as told.

"Give me a curse..."

"Well, there's the Imperius curse..."

The Professor took a spider out of a jar. Pointing his wand at it, he enlarged it, then Imperiused it. He caused it to land on various students and Rayna found herself not paying attention much, until she noticed the spider had landed on Draco's face. After that, the look he had on his face, never left Rayna's mind. She laughed, as one of Draco's friends tried to bat the spider away. The events after that, Rayna couldn't remember, as she probably fell asleep. Apparently Professor Moody's 'all-seeing eye' didn't work that well.

That evening

"Hey Rayne, where're you going at this time of night?" Rayna turned to see Draco coming from the boys' dorm. She couldn't help but notice his pajamas. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone. She shook her head to clear her mind of the image.

"D--detention. W--with Professor S--Snape." She found herself stumbling over her words.

"Oh, I'm sorry...good luck." He grinned evilly. Rayna rolled her eyes.  
"Thanks, Draco," she said sarcastically. "See you later."

"If you come back, that is..." he mumbled to himself.

"What??"

"Nothing! Just, go..." he said hastily, hoping to escape her moodiness. With one last glare, Rayna turned on her heel, and marched out the portrait hole. She made her way to Professor Snape's office.


	5. The Animal Side of Draco

Chapter Five

"Professor, I'm here for my detention..." He looked up.

"Ah good. Come with me..." he led her to the Potions classroom. "Tonight, you will scrub every desk, chair, and the floor, with this..." with a wave of his wand, a mop, bucket of water, and a washcloth appeared. "You have four hours, and give me your wand." Rayna's mouth dropped to the floor.

"What?? It'll take me weeks to do that without my wand!!"

"It's not called Detention for nothing, Miss Lauren, your wand, please..." With a glare, she took it out of her cloak she had draped over her regular clothes, and handed it to him.

"You will get this back when you're done. I will come back in four hours..." he confirmed, before walking out of the room. Rayna examined the classroom, with a sigh of frustration. Picking up the washcloth, she drenched it with water, wrung it, then set to work on the desks and chairs. She worked as fast and as efficiently as she could, so that at the end of those four hours when Snape returned, she was exhausted, but he was obviously impressed. The second she had her wand back in her hand, Rayna bolted out of the room.

Back in the common room, the first thing that Rayna noticed was a motionless figure on the couch. With closer examination, she found Draco had fallen asleep.

_He didn't wait up for me, did he? Look at him, he looks tired. I bet that spider did a number on him..._

She smiled, chuckling inwardly as the look he had on his face passed through her mind.

_He looks so peaceful though...the way his hair clouds his eyes, the way his chest rises and falls evenly...wait, this is my __friend__ I'm talking about. _

_**Are you sure he's just a friend? **_

_Yes! I mean, we just met yesterday, and not on the best terms, I might add..._

_**Well, you never know what may happen. **_

_Nothing__ is going to happen, all right? _

_**That's what **__**you**__** say...**_

All the while her thoughts were getting carried away with themselves, Rayna had been staring at Draco. Well, more into space, but her eyes just happened to be on Draco when she zoned out. Her mind was keeping her busy that she didn't notice he had woken up.

"Geez, Rayne. I know I'm sexy, but do you really have to stare like that? Not that I don't mind or anything, but, it's kind of rude..." he commented jokingly.

Rayna jumped as his voice brought her out of her reverie. When she realized what he said, she exclaimed,

"You? Sexy?? Ha! Don't make me laugh!! And who'd wanna stare at you, save pug-faced Pansy who drools over everything you say and do anyway! Now if you'll excuse me. I happen to want to go to bed." She turned on her heel, and walked toward the girls' dormitory. As she got into bed, her consciousness came back to haunt her. Not to mention she had forgotten to feed Shimsa, who was very cranky at that point. While Rayna went about getting her cat's food, her mind raced.

_**See what happened down there??**_

_What?_

_**You two flirted.**_

_No, we didn't!! __Friends__ don't flirt!!_

_**Exactly!! So, Draco's obviously more than a friend now, eh?**_

_Look, I'm tired, all right? I don't want to talk about this right now._

_**Fine then. I'll be back in the morning.**_

_All right, goodnight!_

_**Goodnight**_

Two weeks later, found Draco and Rayna seated in the Great Hall, for the choosing of the Triwizard Champions. They waited for Dumbledore to speak.

"The Durmstrang Champion is, Viktor Krum!" A boy stepped down from his seat, as his buddies congratulated him before he went down to a separate room. "The Champion from Beauxbatons is, Fleur Delacour!" As she stood, a bright smile on her face, her friends applauded her, and she walked down to the other room. "And finally, the Hogwarts Champion is, Cedric Diggory!" The entire Hall went wild as he got up, shook hands with Dumbledore, and followed suit as the other two did, walking down to the room.

What happened next, the students, nor Dumbledore, expected. The Goblet went haywire, spewing red fire, as a fourth slip of parchment was emitted. Dumbledore read it.

"Harry Potter..." no one said anything, shocked at the situation. "Harry Potter!!" Yelled Dumbledore. A few people down from where Draco and Rayna were sitting, Hermione pushed Harry from his seat and nudged him down the steps. He glanced around nervously, locking eyes briefly with Rayna. She gave him a look that said _What happened??_ He shrugged and continued on his way to the lower room.

The chatter died down, and most of the staff had left the Hall to investigate Harry's predicament. Draco leaned over to whisper in Rayna's ear,

"What do you think happened?"

"I don't know, but I'm not about to worry Harry by asking."

"Oh."

"Wait, you're not going to rack on me for calling Harry by his first name, or mentioning him openly as if I don't hate him?"

"No, why would I?"

"That day on the train, Hermione told me that up until this year, the three of them have been enemies with all of Slytherin...of course including you..."

"Oh, that...well that's the truth."

"But?"

"But what? There is no 'but'.

"I know for a fact that you right now, isn't you."

"Meaning?"

"What happened to the past three years of badmouthing all Gryffindors, or any other House for that matter? And insulting Harry, Hermione, and Ron non-stop? You've had millions of opportunities now, but not a hurtful word has slipped."

"People change..."

"Not this drastically, within two weeks. Those three have told me loads of stories of their past years, here, and how, from the start, you were sworn enemies."

"Something's, different this year..." Draco turned away, signaling the end of the conversation.

Later that week, in the library

"Rayna, come quick!!" Hermione exclaimed. Rayna looked up from her book.

"What?"

"Malfoy's been turned into a ferret!!" That caught Rayna's attention. Throwing down her book, she sprinted after Hermione. Once they were in the courtyard, Rayna pushed through the crowd to see Professor Moody levitating a pure, bright white ferret up and down. Malfoy's friends were standing about the small animal, not knowing what to do. Next to her, Harry was laughing.

"Harry, what happened?"

"Professor Moody turned him into a ferret for trying to cast a spell on me when my back was turned." Rayna kneeled next to the ferret, as the animal looked up at her. She reached out to pet him.

"Aw, you're kind of cute as a ferret..." Rayna stretched both hands out to pick up the tiny white furball. As she cradled the animal in her arms, it withdrew from Professor Moody's figure as much as it could, burying its face within the warm fabric of her cloak. "Maybe I should keep you that way...hmmm..." when 'Draco' shook his head vigorously, she laughed. "All right, fine." Before she put the ferret down though, she couldn't stop herself from placing a kiss on the top of its head. She could've sworn she saw the white ferret go pink. Professor Mcgonagall waved her wand at him, and the ferret was Draco again.

"My father'll hear about this!!" Draco spat at Professor Moody.

"Is that a threat?? I could tell you stories about your father that would curl even your greasy hair, boy! It doesn't end here!!"

Rayna was laughing as she slipped out of the crowd, before any of her Gryffindor friends could see where she went. She caught up with him in the corridor.

"Hey! You feelin' all right?"

"Of course! That was a just a minor incident...no dent on my pride." Draco replied. Rayna stopped, frowning, and Draco stopped with her. "What?"

"I don't like it when you act that way, all prideful and snobbish. That's the old you, remember? You said so yourself." His attitude suddenly changed, and he seemed pissed at her.

"You watch it, Lauren, or I might be forced to think you like me." He stalked off, as she stayed frozen on the spot. His words echoed in her mind over and over. _"You watch it, __Lauren__, or I might be forced to think you like me...you like me...you like me..." He seemed really mad at me, plus he called me by my last name...the first time he's done that since he learned my name. I was foolish to think he could change... _She shook her head furiously, and started talking to herself again.

"Wait, why do I even care?"

_**You like him don't you?**_

"No! We've been through this before, I do not have feelings for him..."

_**Or do you? I told you, you never know what'll happen...**_

"Yeah, but it's not like he likes me too..."

_**You know he liked it when you held him earlier.**_

"He was a ferret then...what else could he have done?"

_**If he didn't like it, he could've bitten you to make you drop him, but he didn't even **__**squirm**__**! In fact, he made himself **__**comfortable**___

"Yeah, well--"

"Who're you talking to, Rayne?" Rayna must've leapt five feet before spinning around, coming face to face with Ron, Harry, and Hermione.

"Oh! Hey guys! What're you doing here?" Rayna asked nervously, trying to get them off the subject of why she was arguing with her self out loud.

"Just passing through. You?" Rayna let out mental sigh of relief that they didn't ask her about her face-off with her conscience.

"Oh, same. In fact, I probably should get back to my common room now, so, see you later!" With a wave, Rayna turned and ran.

Cautiously entering the Common Room, she half expected Draco to be on the couch again. But he was nowhere in the room.

"Draco?" No reply. With a sigh, she headed to the girls' dorm.


	6. Determination

**A.N: Here's chapter 6, hope you enjoy!**

From the Boys' Dorm, as he lay awake in his bed, Draco heard Rayna call his name. He fought the strong urge to jump out of bed and go to her to apologize. At that moment, his conscience came back to harass him.

_**Draco Malfoy, what the **__**hell**__** was that about out there?!**_

_What was what about?_

_**Rayna was trying to be nice to you, and joke around, but you had to go and shove her away!**_

_And, why are you pointing out the obvious, here?_

_**Do you not care?**_

_Of course not. I'm a Malfoy. Even though she's a fellow Slytherin, __and__ a pureblood, she's still friends with Pothead, Weasel, and the Mudblood._

_**You **__**do**__** realize you're contradicting yourself, and if that's the truth, then you lied to her? You yourself said that something's changed this year. It's her, isn't it? She's that change. You like her, I know. But saying and doing things like what you did just then will not help further anything between you two. Just imagine how she must feel...**_

Draco was starting to get frustrated with himself, and the more he thought about her, the more he felt guilty about what he said.

_Shut up, I want to go to sleep._

_**Okay, but just know I'm not going to let you off that easily. I **__**will**__** be back.**_

Draco finally closed his eyes, and fell into a restless slumber.

The next morning, he had slept in, missing breakfast. Thankfully though, it was the weekend, and so there were no classes to be late for. When he finally got up, it was just about lunchtime. He showered and got dressed, then headed up to the Great Hall, knowing that Rayna had not bothered to wait for him as usual. When he entered the Great Hall, he made to sit next to Rayna, hoping that in the course of the inevitable silence between them, he would find the courage to say sorry. But she didn't even give him that chance.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't sit by me, Malfoy." As she emphasized his last name, he knew she was very upset, and so attempted to apologize on the spot.

"Look, Rayne, I'm sorry about--" She whipped her head around to look up at him with that same death glare he had received when they had first encountered each other on the train. He stopped mid-sentence, and dejectedly walked away to sit elsewhere.

Later that afternoon, Rayna was nowhere to be found. Harry, Hermione, and Ron, were on the hunt for her. They had searched as much of the castle as they could, before heading out onto the Grounds.

"Where else could she be? She doesn't know this place very well, nor does she know many people here either..." Hermione worried.

"Let's go ask if Hagrid's seen her." Harry suggested. So they went down to Hagrid's hut and asked if he'd seen her around. After discovering that he hadn't, they made their way back up to the castle. Ron stopped.

"Ron? What is it?" Hermione inquired.

"You don't suppose..." Ron started, gesturing to the Forbidden Forest, looming ahead. His two friends' eyes widened.

"We have to find her before she gets hurt!" Harry exclaimed. The three ran back to Hagrid's hut to ask if he'd accompany them on their search for Rayna through the Forbidden Forest.

As they started off into the forest, striking blue eyes were watching their every move.

_Of course! I should've known!_

Draco, too, had gone to look for her. He watched as the Golden Trio disappeared into the forest. Stealthily, he sprinted down to the edge of the forest, and his eyes caught another trail, though it was mostly covered with moss and overgrown plants. He decided to take it. About 20 minutes into his search, when he was well into the forest, he heard a wolf howl, not far off from where he was.

"Rayna!!" He was full of determination as he followed that howl. It was not long before he spotted her. She was frozen, watching with a horrified expression as a wolf approached the clearing in which she stood. Close to her was a large boulder one could easily hide behind. Draco snuck up behind her, and reached his hand over to cover her mouth, should she try to scream, as he pulled her behind the boulder. He could feel she was shaking uncontrollably. Her eyes darted up at him with terror, as she couldn't see who it was at first. It was then he noticed that her face was stained with tears. He put his fingers to his lips to signal her to remain quiet, as he cautiously withdrew his hand from her mouth to reach down, picking up a small rock. Turning around slowly, Draco threw the rock as far as he could in the opposite direction.

The two heard the rock quietly land someplace far off, and they crept around the boulder to watch as the wolf ran off in that direction. They let out a sigh of relief.

"Come on, we need to get out of here, before he comes back..." Draco tried to take Rayna's hand to make sure she'd stay with him on the well-hidden trail as they made their way back.

She pulled her hand away, and began to walk in another direction.

"I--I was fine...I didn't need your help...and--and I don't need it now."

"Look, Rayna, I know you're mad at me, but the least you can do us all is to not get lost in a forest where creatures will eat you alive if they get the chance. The school is this way...at least stay close to me, if you refuse to take my hand."

With a glare, Rayna followed him at a distance. The second they were out of the forest, and in sight of the school, she ran as fast as she could towards it. Draco didn't bother to follow at her heel, as he knew she'd lash out on him again if he did. He waited a while before heading up to the school.

_**I'm back!!**_

_Oh, god, what is it now?_Draco thought, frustrated that his conscience had to step in when he wanted to be alone.

_**What did you do wrong??**_

_What did __I__ do wrong?? I didn't do anything wrong!! She's just being a stubborn little brat right now...she'll get over it._

_**You know you won't get very far just by thinking about it.**_

_What do you want me to do about it?_

_**Insist on trying to be on speaking terms with her again. If she simply won't talk to you, send her owls.**_

_How do I know she won't just trash them all?_

_**Then you can at least say you tried, and put in an earnest effort, when she argues that you didn't even try to get her friendship back.**_

_I'll think about it..._

Meanwhile, in the Girl's Dorm, of the Slytherin Common Room, Rayna lay crying on her bed. She had been doing so well, putting on a brave face when she was in the forest with him. But the minute she was out of his sight she broke down, and had a very hard time getting down to the Dungeons, as she was blind by her tears, and stumbling.

_God, why am I like this? It's all over one little thing he said, and I'm acting like the world's ended!_

_**You know he never meant to hurt you.**_

_I know, but why do I have to be so stubborn?? This morning, all this could've ended if I just let him apologize. But no, I had to go the extent of nearly letting a wolf at me before I realized what a jerk I've been._

_**Just be patient. Wait for a bit for him to calm down, then tell him what's on your mind.**_

Over the next three months, there seemed to be an unspoken rule enforcing the silent treatment between them. They either couldn't find the courage to talk to each other, or the grudges held true. So unfortunately, Rayna didn't find that law dissipating until Christmas Eve.

**A.N: So you've read it, I'd love for you to leave a review. I've made a decision. I will not be posting the next chapter until i get at least ten reviews for this one. Good or bad. Tell me it sucked, let me know what I can improve on, or maybe you really liked it, where praise is in order. (I just don't want to seem like I expect people to say that they absolutely loved just to make me feel good and continue. I adore constructive critism.) Please realize that feedback is what we authors take to keep going, or stop, depending on the review. **

**So really, I accept any questions, comments, or snide remarks. At this point, it's not so much that you liked it or not, but just that you took the time to read. Thanks so much.**

**Xania**


	7. The Yule Ball

**A.N: First of all, I am sooooo sorry for not updating in such a long time! The thing is, I was grounded from the computer nearly all summer. But now, I can continue! I probably lost a lot of my original readers by now, but I hope you can pick this back up with me.**

**Okay, so this has got to be my most favorite chappie out of all of them. I will tell you that as I re-read through this, I was so close to tears. And I'm the one who wrote it! I hope you like it as much as I did.**

**DISCLAIMER: Oh, and the song in this chapter is called, "If You're Not The One," by Daniel Bedingfield. Love that song!**

For Rayna, the Yule Ball wasn't as exciting as she thought it would be. After the opening waltz (which she danced with some Durmstrang that Hermione had set her up with out of pity), the Weird Sisters performed. As everyone else was having fun and dancing with his or her dates, Rayna sat herself at one of the tables, bored out of her mind. In fact, the only thing on her mind was the past three months she had spent not speaking with Draco. What made matters worse, was that she couldn't seem to keep her eyes off him. She watched as he danced with his date, Pansy, and couldn't help but feel a tinge of jealousy, even though she knew he didn't like Pansy.

"Miss Lauren?" Rayna looked up, and into the eyes of Viktor Krum.

"Yes?"

"Hermione and I were wondering if you would like to dance with us."

"Oh, well, I appreciate the offer, but I would much rather rest here. Thank you though."

"Hermione is worried about you, you know..."

"Tell her I'm fine, I just need time to think certain events through." Viktor knew there was no convincing Rayna at that point, and so made a polite bow, before walking back to Hermione on the dance floor.

_ Okay, now I need to __stop__ thinking about this... _Rayna stood and walked out of the Great Hall. From where he stood on the dance floor, Draco would occasionally look over Pansy's shoulder or turn around to glance at Rayna. When he looked at that point, he saw she wasn't at the table anymore.

_Oh great, now where has she run off to?_

_**Go after her.**_

Draco longed for Rayna's presence once more, and so did not hesitate to obey his conscience this time.

_Maybe she went back to the Common Room..._

He walked down to the Dungeons, to find she was not in the Common Room.

_I hope she's not in the Girls' Dorm._

Draco walked back up to the Entrance Hall, and simply poked his head in to see if she had returned. Seeing that she hadn't, he decided to take a breather outside. Walking out, it wasn't long before he heard soft singing.

"If you're not the one, then why does my soul feel glad, today?

If you're not the one, then why does my hand fit yours, this way?

If you are not mine, then why does your heart return, my call?

If you are not mine, would I have the strength to stand, at all?

Never know what the future brings 

But I know you're here with me now

We'll make it through and I hope you are the one I share my life with

I don't want to run away, but I can't take it 

I don't understand

If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am?

Is there any way that I could stay in your heart?"

Draco crept around a corner, and found Rayna's 5' 6" frame standing there, as the snow fell. The train of her long red dress was getting moist on the ground. The strapless dress had a silver, glittery flower, and it was low in the back, and so she had a white silk shawl covering her back and shoulders. Her long blonde hair was all put up with one large red and silver clip. He stepped back into the shadows, and closed his eyes, just listening.

"If I don't need you then why am I crying on, my bed?

If I don't need you, then why does your name resound, in my head?

I don't know why you're so far away

But I know that this much is true

We'll make it through and I hope you are the one I share my life with

And I wish that you could be the one, I die with

And I'm prayin' you're the one I build my home with

I hope, I love you all my life

I don't want to run away, but I can't take it

I don't understand

If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am?

Is there any way that I could stay in your heart

'Cause I, miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away

And I breathe you, into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today

'Cause I love you

Whether it's wrong or right

Though I can't be with you tonight

You know my heart is by your side

I don't want to run away, but I can't take it

I don't understand

If I'm not made for you, then why does my heart tell me that I am?

Is there any way that I could stay in your heart?"

As the song faded out, Draco pulled up the courage to approach her. Stepping out of the shadows, he said,

"We wouldn't want to see a beautiful dress like that ruined, now would we?" Walking up behind her, he reached down to pick up the end of her wet train, and cautiously put his arm around her waist, still holding the train of her dress. She didn't react. There was a brief pause before he bent a bit to whisper in her ear. "You know, you don't have to run away anymore..."

After a while of silence between them, Rayna began to shiver. Draco felt this, and encircled his arms around her more, stepping closer to her. She turned her head to look up at him, and Draco noticed a single tear roll down her cheek. He slowly brought his hand up to wipe it away, gently caressing her cheek. She leaned into his hand, closing her eyes with a smile, before slipping her hand into his. The two just stood there, looking out at the night sky. Then, from inside, Draco and Rayna heard a slow piece playing. He stepped back, letting her train fall to the ground.

"May I have this dance?" He inquired in a gentleman-like manner. She smiled, nodding. They stepped closer, Draco slipping his hands around her waist, as Rayna leaned her head on his shoulder. A moment or two passed before he whispered to her, "Hey, remember three months back, when Professor Moody turned me into a ferret?"

"How could I forget that? That was hilarious!"

"And, what about that kiss you gave me?"

"You were a ferret, and you were cute then, I couldn't help myself. What of it?"

"One, it was poorly done, because two, you missed." She looked up at him with a confused look. "Care to try it again?" When Rayna realized what he was getting at, she blushed, looking down at her feet. He cupped her chin to make her look up at him. "Besides, since I'm no longer a ferret, and much taller than you, I do believe it would be relatively hard to reach the top of my head the way you were able to then."

Rayna smiled, chuckling. "Well I suppose..." she commented, taking another step closer. She gazed into Draco's deep azure eyes as he leaned down, towards her. Closing her eyes Rayna tilted her head as he pressed his lips gently against hers. His hand reached up to the large clip holding her hair up. He began to slowly pull it from her hair, allowing her blonde curtain of silk to cascade down to her shoulders. Slipping her clip into his pocket, Draco pulled away, and touched his forehead to hers.

"You have no idea how long I've waited to do that." She laughed.

"Really now?"

"Mmhmm..." he brushed his lips against hers once more, running his fingers through her hair.

However, the moment was very short-lived. "Draco!! Draco, where are you?? Are you out here?" Draco pulled away with an exasperated sigh.

"Pansy. Sorry, love..."

"No, I understand. Don't want to keep your date waiting." Rayna replied jokingly, to which he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, don't start...if I had only known you were that good of a kisser, I would've asked you before she got to me." Rayna blushed, but was quick to get his mind off the subject.

"Go, before she comes over here."

"So now you want me to go away?"

"Go!!" Rayna insisted, laughing, while she pushed him in the direction of Pansy's voice. He executed a quick bow to her.

"My love, I bid you adieu for now..."

"I'll want my clip at some point, you know."

"You'll get it back tonight, I promise." With a quick smile, Draco solemnly walked inside to Pansy.

"Where have you been??" Rayna snickered, hearing Pansy interrogate Draco.

"Just had to take a breather, Pansy."

_Poor guy..._

"There you are, Rayne!" Rayna turned her flushed face to see Harry, Hermione, and Ron as they walked up to her.

"We've been worried about you." Hermione stated.

"I'm fine now, really, I am..."

"Then what was the problem?" Harry replied, unconvinced. Rayna sighed, knowing she'd been caught, but not willing to tell them just yet.

"You can tell us. Talk to us..." Ron attempted, trying to reassure her.

"As much as I would like to tell you, even though you guys are three of my best friends, I—I don't think I'm ready for people to know." Rayna explained, hoping they would understand. Harry nodded.

"All right then, no pressure, Rayna. Just know that we're here if you want to talk." Rayna smiled.

"Thanks, guys...let's go back inside, shall we? It's chilly out here." Rayna pulled her shawl closer around her, wishing that Draco was there to keep her warm. As they went back inside, Hermione noticed something.

"Hey Rayna, your hair's down...where's your clip?"

"Oh! Um, I knew it'd be cold so before I went out, I let my hair down to cover my shoulders." Rayna lied.

"That's a good idea. Wish I thought of that..." Hermione replied, subconsciously rubbing her cold neck.

Sitting at one of the tables, Rayna found some excuse or other to get a glass of punch. The bowl in which the beverage was, also happened to be where Draco and his gang (minus Pansy most of the time), hung out.

"You know, I'm thirsty. Do you guys want anything?" Rayna asked her friends at the table.

"That's your 12th glass tonight!" Ron observed.

"You've been counting?"

"Yeah, sorry...that happens when I get bored..."

Turns out the Yule Ball wasn't as dull as Rayna thought it would be.

**Do review, if you please!**

**Xania**


End file.
